Peri Peri two little weird words packed with a ton of Fire, Heart, and Flavor, and Nando’s in Hamilton Ont. has these Peri Peri peppers showing off all over their dining room. Peri Peri are tiny chillies filled with much heat and they tell me it’s a unique type of African Bird’s Eye Chilli. They are grown in Southern Africa and they grow pointing towards the hot African sun. Nando’s started with two friends just hanging out for lunch, once their taste buds experienced this chili known as Peri Peri they put their two heads together and from Rosettenville, Johannesburg to us creating Nando’s Peri Peri Chicken.
With a bright and vibrate feel you see so many colors & you can just feel the back story to Nando’s is a job well done. With the aroma of chicken being flamed grilled, it gets your mouth salivating. Nando’s marinates its chicken for 24 hours insuring that all that Peri Peri flavor soaks right through so you get that authentic taste. Nando’s also works with not only communities like ours, but also with 1,400 farmers across Southern Africa that’s makes me proud we are supporting farmers all over the country. As you look around Nando’s you will see many evocative paintings all from African artists. Nando’s menus highlight another artist that has an invigorating way about her and her way of bringing paintings to reality. So, as you can see its important to Nando’s to show support from its humble beginnings.

Now let’s talk chicken Nando’s has a very skillful menu, its bright and very easy to read all revolving around Peri Peri Chicken, Sandwiches, Wraps, Share Platters, Salads, and so much more. Nando’s Peri-Ometer is there for your safety extra hot, hot, medium, lemon & herb, mango Lime, and plain (for the non-risk takers or kids) read carefully these fantastic marinades are so flavorful and packed with spices they will leave you wanting more. So, with a Quarter Chicken Leg marinated with Hot Peri Peri on the way I was going to test some of my taste buds out. You will notice that each dish comes with a label showing off what you ordered Red for Hot. A juicy quarter leg comes to our table tender and moist, with a crispy skin, with a side salad and my head starts to heat up and my palate starts to heat up, Yikes! this is Hot but wow so good. This dish was filled with the flavors of the robust African Eye Chilis and of course other spices that accompanied this fantastic hot sauce. It was lip smacking and I found myself using some of the marinade for my dressing on my salad.

We also tried the Breast Meal a large bone in chicken breast appears and its marinated in a beautiful Mango & Lime sauce. It’s a large juicy chicken breast that arrives with beautiful char marks showing off its Peri Peri presence. With hints of tangy lime and sweet mango I find myself wanting more of this marinade so with my side order of Peri Peri fries, which are a spicy, crispy, and lightly dusted with spices. I grab some extra marinade and start dipping my fries.
We could not forget my little gourmet consultant, we hooked him up with some Nando’s chicken wings Plain for his growing palate and he loved every bite. Ten sensational chicken wings just waiting to be gobbled up by him. He told me that Nando’s makes Da best chicken wings he has ever had. Well done Nando’s.

Nando’s has taken some extra hospitality affection by asking every customer “Is this your first visit to Nando’s) they ask this question because they want to give the best possible service to everyone. For the first timers you will have a Gold Cockerel placed at your table, this lets servers know that it is your first visit and any questions or concerns you may have they can answer. For the regulars a black cockerel is placed at your table, but just because you have visited Nando’s more than once doesn’t mean you will not receive superb service, you just know the system a bit better. I love this concept.

Dessert is under rated at Nando’s and listen to why I say this. We all know Pasteis de Natas that unforgettable Portuguese egg custard tart. It’s soft, delicate flaky pastry baked with a rich, silky, egg custard inside. This small tart is graced with little signs of browned crust forming a barrier between the top coat and creamy custard inside. It’s decadent, crunchy, sweet and its fantastic with a latte.When you enter Nando’s you will see a dish filled with what looks like a plain chocolate cookie, Wrong! It’s a Chilli Chocolate Cookie a soft, rich, and chewy dark chocolate cookie with a back bite of hot chilli. It may take a minute but wait for it, the heat hits the back of your throat and you realize that you have just been kissed by this crafty Chilli Chocolate Cookie. If you can’t take the heat, you can enjoy this treat with some bottomless frozen yogurt.

Nando’s is a South African and Portuguese Peri Peri Chicken experience, with warm hearts, hot chilis, and a story worth sharing

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Who is Melinda Paletta?

Melinda Paletta is a gourmet epicure born in Montreal Quebec. She was raised in a family business with expertise in the food industry, customer service, business and marketing. Over the past 22 years she has worked on customizing and carving out her own niche in the culinary world.
DaButchers Daughter, Melinda’s food and restaurant blog, has reviews about BBQ restaurants, breakfast restaurants, butcher shops, pizza spots and much more! Melinda is a self taught chef who loves different food cultures.